Use of Comparative Genomics To Resolve an Unusual Case of Aminoglycoside Susceptibility in the Melioidosis Pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei in Bangladesh

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2024 Sep 3;111(5):1056-1059. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.24-0144. Print 2024 Nov 6.

Abstract

Melioidosis is an emerging tropical infectious disease with a rising global burden caused by the environmental bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is endemic in Southeast and South Asia, including Bangladesh. A rare aminoglycoside-susceptible B. pseudomallei isolate (Y2019) has recently been reported from a melioidosis patient in Dhaka, Bangladesh. To understand the geographical origins of Y2019, we subjected it and 10 other isolates from Bangladesh to whole-genome sequencing. In a phylogenetic tree with a global set of B. pseudomallei genomes, most Bangladeshi genomes clustered tightly within the Asian clade. In contrast, Y2019 was closely related to ST881 isolates from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, a gentamicin-sensitive sequence type, suggesting infection in Borneo. Y2019 also contained the same gentamicin sensitivity conferring nonsynonymous mutation in the drug efflux pump encoding the amrB gene. In the absence of a full travel history, whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatics tools have revealed the likely origin of this rare isolate.

MeSH terms

  • Aminoglycosides / pharmacology
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents* / pharmacology
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents* / therapeutic use
  • Bangladesh
  • Burkholderia pseudomallei* / drug effects
  • Burkholderia pseudomallei* / genetics
  • Burkholderia pseudomallei* / isolation & purification
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial / genetics
  • Genome, Bacterial
  • Genomics*
  • Humans
  • Melioidosis* / drug therapy
  • Melioidosis* / microbiology
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Phylogeny*
  • Whole Genome Sequencing

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Aminoglycosides